Improvement in machinery for graining, pebbling, and softening leather



. H. HOWSON. 4 Machinery for Graining. Pehhling and Softening Leather.No. 168,497. Patented Oc t. 5,1875.

UNITED STATES ATENT rrrcn HENRY HOWSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM Y. WARNER, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINERY FOR GRAININGI PEBBLING, AND SOFTENING LEATHIER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 168,497, dated October5, 1875; application filed August 27, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY HowsoN, ofPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements inMachinery for Graining, Pebbling, and Softening Leather, of which thefollowing is a specification:

The object of my invention is to construct a simple and effectivemachine for graining, pebbli'ng, and softening leather; and this objectI attain in the manner which I will now proceed to describe.

It may be well in the outset to explain the mainfeature of my inventionand the principle on which the machine is based by referring to thediagram, Figure l, 'of the accompanyi'ng drawing, in which A representspart of a reciprocating bed, and B part of a roller, bothbeing coveredwith rubber or other material which has an adhesive affinity forleather. v After it has received the usual preliminary treatment, theleather is folded skin side outward and placed on the bed while thelatter,

as well as the said roller, is stationary, the leather being soadjustedthat a line, a w, drawn through the center of the roller at right anglesto the bed shall pass through the crease 10. After this adjustment thecrease is compressed between the bed and the roller, either bydepressing the latter or raising the former, and the roller is thencaused to turn and the bed to traverse in the direction of their arrows,the face of the bed moving at the same speed as the circumference of theroller. The result of this will be the movement of the upper fold it ofthe leather in the same direction as the roller, and of the lower foldof the leather in the contrary direction, determined by the bed. Asthese folds move at the same speed in contrary directions, it will beevident that the crease to will always retain the same position inrespect to the line 00 a, Where it is acted on by the roller underpressure, and that the leather must be subjected to the creasingnecessary for softening, pebbling, or graining, the leather beingsubjected to as many repetitions of the operation as circumstances mayrequire.

In order to facilitate the adjustment of the crease w in its properposition in respect to the line 00 av, I use a bar, P, the operation ofwhich will be referred to hereafter.

It will be evident that the creasing of the leather may be accomplishedif it be adjusted between the roller and bed in the manner shown in Fig.2.

I prefer to arrange the bed in an inclined position, so that it willreturn by its. own gravity after it has been moved in the properdirection for producing the above-described effect on the leather, thisarrangement of inclined bed traversing inclined ways tending to simplifythe machine, which I will now proceed to describe, reference being hadto the drawing, in which- Fig. 3 represents a side view, partly insection, of a machine by which my invention has been carried intosuccessful effect; Fig. 4, a transverse section on the line 1 2, Fig. 3;and Figs. 5 and 6, diagrams illustrating different kinds of gearingwhich may be applied to the the under side of the bed is a rack, 01,into,

which gears a Wheel, E, on the shaft F, which is caused to revolve inthe direction of the arrow.

The shaft H of the roller B turns in boxes I I, each box being adaptedto guidese c, with which each side frame is furnished, and each box isconnected, by a rod, J, to a cross-bar, m, on a lever, K, which has itsfulcrum at n on the frame of the machine, and has at one end atreadle-board, q, for receiving thefoot of the operator, and'at theother end a box, M, for receiving such weights as will tend to depressthe short arm of the lever K and raise I the long arm, and consequentlythe roller B, a slight effort being therefore required to depress theroller and lever.

As different styles of gearing may be adopted as mediums through whichto operate the bed and roller, it has not been deemed necessary tominutely illustrate or describe any specific driving appliances. I have,however, given outlines in Figs. 5 and 6 of two styles of gearing whichmay be employed.

In Fig. 5 a wheel, 3, on the shaft F is driven by a pinion, 6, on adriving-shaft, N, the said wheel 3 (of the same diameter as therackwheel) gearing into an idler-wheel, 5, and the latter into a wheel,4, on the roller-shaft H, the idler-wheel being so coupled to the shaftsFand E that the wheels shall always remain in gear, whatever may be thevertical position of the roller B. a

In Fig. 6 a driving-shaft, N, is also used, and carries a pinion, 6,gearing into the wheel 3 on the shaft F, and driving the roller-shaft Hthreagh themedium of the wheels 8, 7, and 4.

Whatever system of drivinggearis adopted the wheels should hear suchrelation to each other and to the roller B that the bed A will traverseat the same speed as the circumference of the roller, and there shouldbe a clutch or other device on the driving-shaft to enable the attendantto start and stop the gearing at pleasure.

The roller and bed being stationary, and the latter being at its lowestposition on the frame, the attendant, who is stationed in front of thetable, adjusts the folded leather so that the crease will be in itsproper position below the elevated roller, after which he depresses thelatter by means of the lever K, and then starts the machine, so that theroller B will revolve and the bed A traverse in the directions pointedout by their arrows, and this will result in the creasing of so much ofthe leather as is comprised in the upper fold. When this creasing hasbeen accomplished the attendant stops the machine by throwing a clutch.on the drivingshaft out of gear, or by other appliances; or the gearingmay be made self-stopping when the bed has reached a given point. At thesame time the attendant releases the lever K, and the roller B isconsequently elevated, and the bed, being released, will descend theinclined ways without interruption, as the gearing is at liberty to beturned by the rack, the

driving-shaft being out of gear. After the leather has been refolded andreadjusted on the bed the attendant depresses the roller B and throwsthe driving-shaft into gear, when a repetition of the above-describedcreasing operation will take place.

In order to facilitate the adjustment of the folded leather in itsproper position on the bed I arrange across the latter, but free fromcontact therewith, the sliding bar P, above alluded to, which isoperated through the medium of two bell-crank levers, Q, secured to ashaft, R, the latter having its bearings in the opposite frames, and theshort arms of the bellcrank levers being connected to rods extendingfrom the sliding boxes I, so that when the roller is depressed thesliding bar P will be moved away from and clear of the roller, and whenelevated will be moved forward beneath the roller, the bar being soadjusted that when the roller is elevated to its highest point the frontedge of the bar will define the proper position of the crease in theleather, theoperator taking care that the crease is properly adjustedagainst the bar before the roller is lowered and the machine started.

' The bar P may be arranged to slide in guides on the frame of themachine; but I prefer to connect the bar at its front edge and at eachend by a link, y, loosely to the roller-shaft H, as shown in Fig. 7, sothat when the long arm of the bell-crank lever is moved outward from theroller as the latteris depressed the bar P will assume the positionshown by dotted lines. The front edge of the bar will always be retainedby the links in its position just clear of the circumference of theroller, whatever may be the position of the latter.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a machine for graining, pebbling, andsoftening leather, the combination of the bed A with the roller B, theformer being caused to traverse in a direction opposite to that in whichthe roller is caused to revolve for action on the folded leather, in themanner described.

2. The combination of the roller B with the reciprocating bed A, havingrollers adapted to inclined ways on the frame-work of the machine, allsubstantially as specified. p

3. The combination of the adjustable roller B, reciprocating table, barP, and mechanism whereby the said bar is operated, in the mannerdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY HOWSON. Witnesses:

HUBERT HowsoN, HARRY SMITH.

